Working on your health with Direct Diagnostics

A finger prick that you can perform at home allows you to quickly test your cholesterol, vitamins and iron levels in order to monitor your health and work on improving it. That is the service offered by Direct Diagnostics, a start-up from Sanquin Health Solutions (SHS).

Through blood analysis, Direct Diagnostics offers insight into, for example, cholesterol levels, a marker for diabetes, vitamins, iron and minerals. Elsemieke Hackenitz, director of Direct Diagnostics, explains why these tests were chosen: "We offer tests for which it has been demonstrated that people can improve their results through adjustments in their behavior. This makes Direct Diagnostics truly a buddy for people who want to actively engage in improving their health."

The principle is simple: After studying the information on the Direct Diagnostics platform, and determining whether a test is appropriate for your personal situation, you can order a test, and a collection kit will be sent to your home with which you can simply take a few drops of blood. The drops can be sent by mail and will be analyzed in a laboratory within a few days. Via a secure platform you can view your results and receive tips for improving your test results.

Prevention

Prevention has been a hot topic in healthcare for years. Contributing to preventive healthcare is therefore one of the pillars of Sanquin Health Solutions' strategy. Hackenitz: "For many people nowadays, it is natural to collect certain data around their health and physical progress. Think about smart watches and apps like FitBit and Strava. People are used to having these kinds of personal data and being able to act on it. With Direct Diagnostics, we can expand people's knowledge about their own health and combine it in the future."

Direct Diagnostics' tests are not an alternative to the doctor, Hackenitz emphasizes. "It is a tool to maintain, promote and protect health."

Sanquin Health Solutions

Pieter de Geus is managing director of Sanquin Health Solutions and explains why SHS launches this type of start-up: "SHS already has a lot of knowledge and activities in (blood) diagnostics, and wants to use it, in addition to patients, for early diagnostics and prevention. This is a rapidly growing market, for which there is a great need, recognized by everyone in healthcare. There are however still many question marks about how to organize it. With Direct Diagnostics, we have developed a flexible platform in which, together with benevolent stakeholders and partners, we want to start filling this need."

For more information on Direct Diagnostics, take a look at their website.